


in the space we met

by wortfee



Series: love is always there [1]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Kid Fic, Leo is stressed and Marc has problems he doesn't talk about, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 12:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6006385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wortfee/pseuds/wortfee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo is a father and his life doesn't work as it did before that, but he has his friends through it all. This is the story how they forget Thiago's teddy bear at Marc's flat, more than once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in the space we met

**Author's Note:**

> helloo! i am back with another college au because i love those. this is the first part of a series that will be centered around leo and his different friendships (mostly marc, neymar and kun) and yeah well, if this was a drama this would be the exposition. not that much happens in here but the characters are introduced and you may or not may find crappy foreshadowing. who knows. if you enjoy it or not enjoy it or whatever, leave me a comment or a kudo. they are greatly appreciated <3

Anto is his first love.

They were six when they met, both too little and too shy to do anything more than smile at each other. Leo wanted to play with her, but he didn't dare ask his mother because she was still angry with him after he had snuck out the night before to play football with his older friends. They called him La Pulga and ruffled his hair too much, but he loved playing with them because they were fast and good and he was still better than some of them.

Years later, he and Anto got together. It was awkward at first, but Anto's smile was too beautiful to not fall in love with after the first few minutes of their first date. Maybe he was in love with her all the way back, from the first day they met to the first they kissed, but he didn't care that much. He was happy and Anto was happy and everything went well. His mom even talked about marriage sometimes, but Leo was quick to shut her down before Anto caught anything of that. It was the next logical step, he knew that. There was something holding him back, though, even after being together for nine years.

A few months later Anto got pregnant and both their families would have approved, would they only have been married. But they weren't, and they were arguing more than ever, Leo trying to bring money in and Anto trying not to overwork herself while there was a tiny little human in her stomach. They were good, though, after Thiago was in their arms for the first time and they smiled at each other, knowing everything would be alright.

Anto is his first love, although it is over now, three years later, and their shared smiles don't mean anything anymore, just shattered memories and bittersweet dreams that make Leo hold his breath when he smells Anto's perfume on someone else.

 

~ ~

 

"Leo!" he hears a shout that sounds a lot like Neymar and he turns around, smiling. Neymar is smiling too and he seems to radiate warmth and the quiet sense of contentment, like he always does.

"I haven't seen you in ages, how are you?" Ney is suddenly all over Leo in a weird kind of hug, but Leo snuggles a bit into Neymar's arms anyway.

"You saw me last week," Leo mumbles in Ney's thin chest. That boy needs to eat more. "And you know that I'm busy since Anto isn't living with us anymore."

"You can take him with you when we hang out together, you know that," Ney says and Leo knows that Ney rolls his eyes. "Just because you are a responsible adult now, you don't have to kill your whole social life and spend your days in your flat!"

Leo rolls his eyes too because both he and Neymar know that being an adult means exactly that.

"I don't think I could take Thiago with me, imagine him being in a room with all of you so drunk that you can't even walk anymore. He'd be traumatized forever."

"Leoo! We can spend a night without alcohol if you take Thiago with you, honestly. I'll just have to hide the vodka bottles so that Dani or Geri don't find them, but you know I have the best hiding places." He can feel Ney's lips stretch into a smile against his head, and Leo stops nuzzling his head into Neymar's chest because their hug is already way too long and he has to go to his classes now.

"I have to go," Leo says and gently breaks the hug and steps back to look at Neymar properly. He worries sometimes, that he neglects his friends, but Neymar smirks and his eyes crinkle and he looks good.

"Yeah, yeah," Ney only says and kisses him on the cheek, "but don't you dare hide in your flat for a week again or I'll send Pique and I'll even call Kun."

"You don't even have his number," Leo says and he has to swallow the bitter _even I don't have it anymore_ that is right on his tongue.

"I have my sources," Ney says and wriggles his eyebrows. "I can find anything."

"I gotta go now you annoying git," Leo adds, and he doesn't have to turn around to know that Neymar is flicking him off.

He runs through the still crowded corridors, bumps into a few people, smiles at a few. He is already late, but he'll be in the class before Lucho arrives so he isn't too late. The small differences in college can keep you alive. He has philosophy now, a class he shares only with Marc and none of his other friends.

The room is full of students already because people in his philosophy class are mostly smart, organized people who love the subject with all their heart so he isn't surprised when he sees Marc at their usual place in the front row, probably brooding over some notes, headphones still in his ears.

"Hey," he says and Marc doesn't react, so he nudges his shoulder as he sits down next to him. Marc plugs the headphones out of his ears and smiles at him. He doesn't even flinch because Marc sometimes doesn't seem to have any reflexes at all, but has the best reflexes other times, which is probably coming from him being either an ice statue or a good goalie when they play football.

"Hey," he replies and Marc's voice is as calm as ever, even though his smile is blinding. "Are you alright? And Thiago, too?"

Leo smiles because Marc always asks about Thiago. It makes him want to pat Marc's head, although Marc is way taller than he is, and he'd probably raise his judgemental eyebrow if Leo actually did that. But in moments like this, when Marc is smiling wide and his hair is tussled or when he blushes and stumbles over his Spanish, Leo remembers how young he actually he is.

"We're good," Leo answers and Lucho comes to the room so Marc only smiles and turns his attention to their professor.

Marc is usually very concentrated in class, so Leo is surprised when he doesn't write a word down in his notebook. Always one with squares and never one with lines because Marc is weird like that.

Leo kind of worries.

"Are you good, too?" he asks and Marc looks up from his paper, surprised.

"Yes, of course," he says and his eyes crinkle in a way that isn't the usual cheekiness, but something sadder, more serious. Leo doesn't believe a word, but Marc starts writing down almost every word that Lucho is saying now, and Leo pretends he doesn't see Marc's hand trembling.

After the class Leo wants to talk to Marc again, but he's gone before he can say even a word. This is not like Marc at all, Marc who faces his problems with a cool, calculated face and an even colder voice. He knows something is wrong.

And Leo is going to find out what it is.

 

~ ~

 

It's five o' clock and Leo just picked Thiago up from the kindergarten, and he's on the way to Marc's flat. He asked Ivan for the address and Ivan being the competent and nice person he is, did exactly that without asking too many questions.

"Papa, where are we going?" Thiago asks, and Leo has to smile at his son, who half-walks, half-hops beside him, with an excited grin on his face and his favourite teddy clutched against his chest. "Are we going to play football with Geri?"

"No, precioso, we are going to visit a friend, we'll play with Geri and Ney another time."

"But why?" Thiago asks and Leo sees another sulk-marathon coming soon, so he picks his son up and says: "You'll see Geri and Shak tomorrow, when I have to work, remember? And I have to see my friend today because he isn't feeling well."

"Like when I had the tummy aches?" Thiago asks and his little nose scrunches up. Leo suppresses a laugh, his son is the cutest kid on earth and nobody will ever be able to convince him otherwise.

"Kind of, yeah. But maybe he'll play football with you too, when you ask him nicely. We'll have to see how well he feels, alright?"

"Alright, Papi," Thiago says and tells him about the day in the kindergarten, about the new kid that's apparently named Sandro and about the boy who has the same shirt as Thiago and is one of his best friends now.

"So, he's your friend because you have the same shirt?" Leo asks, laughing.

"No, Papi," Thiago looks at him like he's an idiot. "He is my friend because he built a sandcastle with me, and I showed him where Martha always hides her sweets, so we are friends now!"

"I am great you found a new friend. When I pick you up tomorrow will you introduce us?"

"Introdice?"

"Introduce, angel, it means you tell him my name and me his name so we get to know each other," Leo explains.

"So you introdice me to your friend, too?"

"Yes, and we are almost there, you want to ring the doorbell?"

"Yes!" Thiago exclaims and tries to ring all of the bells at once but Leo holds him back.

"You have to ring this one," he says, and points at the one that says _ter Stegen._

"What does it say?" Thiago asks, and presses his chubby, short finger down on it, with too much force probably.

"Ter Stegen," Leo says, and because he knows that Thiago will ask why the name is so unusual he says, "His name is Marc, and he is from Germany."

"Germany?" Thiago's eyes are wide and expressive and it's honestly adorable, but Leo doesn't have time to say something because Marc lets them in without asking who they are. Leo smirks, he never would have thought Marc would be that incautious.

Turns out, Marc lives in the fourth story of the building, which means that Leo has to walk four stories with Thiago in his arms and the groceries bag in his other arm. He feels like an old man halfway through the stairs, gasping for breath and resisting the urge to just stop. Jesus, he is getting old.

Marc is leaning against his door frame, a grin on his face.

"What are you doing here, Leo?" Marc asks, but the smile is still on his face.

"I wanted to talk," Leo says, and Marc's smile crumbles for a moment, before it's back on his lips. "Also, I would never have thought you would just let everyone in without asking who it is," he adds playfully and winks at Marc.

"I could hear you ragged breathing from all the way down, old man, I was sure that it was you," Marc only replies, laughing. Leo only shakes his head.

"This is my son, Thi - ,"

"I want to introdice myself!" Thiago interrupts him, and Marc's smile gets more real with every second Thiago speaks. "I am Thiago," Thiago continues, "and this is my Papa!"

"Hello Thiago," Marc says, and stretches his hand out, "I am Marc." Leo is almost afraid that Thiago's hand will break, as soon as Marc's giant fingers close around the tiny ones of his son, but Marc's hand may very big, but they are really gentle nonetheless.

"Come on in," Marc says and like the usual cliché gentleman he is, he takes out groceries bag from his hand and holds them the door open. Leo could lie and say that he is just annoyed, but he fucking loves Marc and his weird gentlemen-y behaviours.

Leo raises his eyebrow when he sees the dinner table set up for two persons, a candle light in the middle. This was not what he expected, especially since Marc opened the door only in his joggers and an old shirt.

"Are you expecting someone?" Leo asks, and Thiago hides his face in his chest.

"I might have to kick you two out again in an hour or so, but - " Marc's phone rings and he shrugs apologetically. "I'll be back in a sec, yeah? Go sit down on the couch."  
Marc quickly goes into the kitchen, and Leo tries his best to not listen to his call, instead he actually sits down on the couch and helps Thiago out of his jacket and shoes.

"What are those?" Thiago asks and points to a cupboard on the other side of the room. There are some trophies which look a lot like shiny sport awards people get in schools.

"I guess these are from the time he played football in school, but you have to ask him when he comes back," Leo says and hopes Thiago won't bombard Marc with questions of football. He is quite in a talking mood today.

"You are really bringing that up now? Are you goddamn serious?" Thiago babbles something about football, but the loud voice of Marc distracts him.

"You know what? Piss of, I've had enough of this. No - what are you even talking about? I - fuck you. " Marc gets louder and he sounds angrier, which is just weird because Leo has never seen Marc act like that. He knows of course that Marc gets angry and loud like every other person, but he still feels bad for him when he comes in the living room, face flushed red with anger and his eyes sad.

"I am sorry you two had to wait," he says and tries to go for something that probably was supposed look like a smile.

"It's not a problem," Leo answers quickly because it really isn't. Thiago is still content with sitting on the couch and talking about football, and as long as his son his happy, Leo is too. This weird phone call also gives him one reason more why he should talk with Marc.

"Is everything alright?"

"It's nothing," Marc waves it of. "I was supposed to have dinner with a friend, and he cancelled, and, well," Marc's eyes get sad again and maybe it isn't the right moment to ask about if Marc has any problems, and Thiago seems to think that too because he loudly exclaims that he is hungry.

"Well," Marc smiles, "At least I have enough food. Do you like mashed potatoes, Thiago?

"Potatoes!" Thiago shouts even louder. And Marc's smile gets bigger and bigger and Leo did never even know that Marc liked children. He always thought that Marc would be the type to have children when he is really old, like forty or something like that, but when he sees him interacting with Thiago, he could easily imagine as a father.

They eat, and Leo urges Thiago to talk about the trophies, and Marc tells him a bit about Germany and about his position as a goalkeeper. ("But why? You can't score goals as a goalkeeper!" is Thiago's humble opinion on that, and Leo and Marc share a look above Thiago's head, but Marc only smiles and gives Thiago something that comes dangerously close to a lecture about how goalkeepers are important for the team.)

They eat and it is good.

Good in the way a warm summer day is good and good in the way a ice cubs feels on the tongue, good in the way it feels only with Marc-André.

 

~ ~

 

"Thiago forgot his teddy bear in my flat," Marc says to him the next day when they meet in the corridors.

Leo sighs because he knows that, of course. Thiago only realized that his favourite toy was missing when they were back in Leo's flat which was too far away to return to Marc's again. The night was terrible, and Leo doesn't know how he is supposed to stay awake through one more hour of his classes, and then work five hours straight in a small restaurant as a waiter.

"Do you have it with you?" Leo asks, but Marc has already the teddy in his hand, and there is even a new ribbon around his neck, the original one somehow got lost at Marc's flat yesterday.

"Thank you," Leo sighs. He wants to lean at Marc, and close his eyes and just sleep on the corridor, but life has other, better plans for him because Dani almost runs against him.

"Leo! Mats!" he shouts, "What are you still doing here? Neville called in sick, we are free!" And Dani is already away again, leaving Marc and Leo and the teddy bear alone in the corridor.

Leo sighs. He'd love to just drive home and curl up in his bed, sleep for twelve hours straight and then do his homework, but his life doesn't work like that anymore. It wouldn't bring him anything to drive home because then he'd have to drive all the way to the restaurant in an hour again. He needs to catch on his reading, he has no time for sleep, anyway.

"Come on," Marc says and gently pushes Leo in the general direction of the next door, "We are going to eat something now, and then you can rest at my flat. You look terrible."

"I don't need rest," Leo says, "And I don't have time for that either. Look, I appreciate what you are doing, but - "

"No buts here, Leo, come on just eat something. I know a restaurant not far from here, they make the best Milanesa Napolitana ever."

And, well, Leo is only human too and Milanesa Napolitana is his weakness. It takes them five minutes to walk to the restaurant and only ten minutes until their food is in front of them. Leo smiles at the waiter and then at Marc.

"So how did you know my favourite meal is Milanesa Napolitana?"

"I am not sure, to be honest. Ney talks about you all the time, so he probably said it one time."

"And you remember that?"

"Of course," Marc says, "I am not stupid."  
Leo only rolls his eyes. They both know that it has nothing to do with Marc being stupid or not stupid, but his food looks way more tempting than a discussion with Marc.

"How are you doing? I mean with Thiago and working and Uni, it can't be easy," Marc says over two bites of their food and Leo stiffens in his seat.

"I am good," he says, maybe a bit harshly, but he is good, and he doesn't need pity or whatever undertone it was that swung with Marc's words.

But then Leo looks up and there is only admiration shining in Marc's eyes, and maybe something else that he can't quite place.

"I am tired, sometimes," Leo settles for that because he knows Marc will understand in the weird way Marc understands a lot of things.

"You and Thiago can always come over if you want to," is all Marc says, and Leo smiles, maybe a bit too widely but he is stressed and tired and Marc brought him to a delicious restaurant and is in his gentleman-y behaviours again, so who can judge him?

 

~ ~

 

Leo forgot to take the teddy bear with him again. That's why he is climbing up the stairs to Marc's apartment, again, with no announcement, again. Thiago is tired and in a bad mood, so Leo really hopes that Marc will be home, give him the toy and that the doesn't miss the bus. Waiting twenty minutes with a whiny Thiago is not something pleasant.

He waits in front of the door, and no, not because he is too old and needs a break, but because there are voices in Marc's flat. Loud voices. He can't make out the words, but it sounds heated and angry and all in all not in an environment in which he'd like his son to be in. But Leo is a curious person and he did not drove all the way to Marc's flat without even trying to get Thiago's teddy bear back, so he rings the dorbell. The loud voices get quieter, and then there are steps and then there is a very angry looking guy in front of him.

A shirtless very angry looking guy and someone who is definitely not Marc ter Stegen.

"What do you want?" Angry Guy snaps, and Leo already dislikes him.

"Is Marc here?" Leo only says because he won't argue with Angry Guy because Angry Guy is built and two heads taller than him.

"Yes," Angry Guys says and he seems so angry, it actually sounds like he is barking. "But we have a bit of an argument going on, if you could piss off maybe?"

"Jean-Marcel, what the fuck are you doing?" Marc shoves Angry Guy away. (and Marc actually wears a shirt, which is an improvement to the general situation or Leo would probably stare at Marc's abs and he has no time for that)

"Who's that guy?" Jean-Marcel asks, and he looks even angrier, "Don't tell me it's him."

"No, he isn't, Marcel. Leo, Thiago you can come in, Marcel will behave."  
"I am not a dog," Jean-Marcel or Marcel or Angry Guy or whatever, Leo is confused, says. But he seems to calm down a bit and shuffles to the other side of the narrow corridor. It takes Leo the whole walk to the living room, which at least isn't that long, to realize that Jean-Marcel and Marc-André both have strange names and both look strangely alike.

"You probably just want the teddy bear, right?" Marc says, "But you can stay for dinner, if you want to."

"I am not sure if that is a good idea," Leo says and looks at Jean-Marcel and back at Marc, who seems to understand, but still only rolls his eyes. "We don't want to bother."

They probably wouldn't, and if there wouldn't be Angry Guy standing right beside Marc, Leo probably would have said yes already. Thiago is almost asleep in his arms, and German food made by Marc sounds like a good idea, especially since Thiago seems to love Marc's mashed potatoes.

"You're not bothering us," Marc says, and Leo wants to ignore it, but he can't, not when Marc's smile is genuine and you can see his sharp teeth because he is smiling so wide.

"Let me at least help with dinner," Leo already knows that he has lost and he doesn't really want to spend an evening with Angry Guy, but, well, he missed his bus already anyway. "I can help you prepare it or something."

"Actually I am cooking dinner," Angry Guy slips in, "But I guess you can help me, too."

"Good," Marc says, "This is my brother, by the way. Jean-Marcel this is Leo and his son Thiago, he shares some classes with me."

"Some classes, huh?" Jean-Marcel wiggles his eyebrows and Marc only throws a kitchen towel after his brother. "Go and make food." Jean-Marcel doesn't necessarily catch the kitchen towel as it lands directly on his face, but at least it doesn't fall on the ground. He heads to the kitchen without another word and Leo just stands in the living room, still confused about the whole situation.

"Come on, I can put Thiago down somewhere if you really want to help with dinner, but you don't have to," Marc already has his arms out stretched, though, so Leo carefully maneuvres Thiago out of his arms and puts him into Marc's.

"Hey, Leo, right? You can peel the potatoes if you want!" Jean-Marcel is shouting through the open kitchen door so Leo goes there, with a last glance to Marc who has settled down on the sofa, humming something to Thiago who is still in his arms. Leo smiles.

Leo and Jean-Marcel are both silent all the way through preparing dinner.

"Are you good friends with Marc?" Marcel asks after the heavy silence seems to be too much.

"I don't know him that long, but, well, yeah?"

Marcel only nods.

"So you know about his boyfriend?"

"His what?"

"Oh, fuck," Marcel looks quite distressed for a moment, "Okay, just forget that I said anything, alright?"

Leo nods, but he knows that he won't be able to forget anything, not when he didn't even know that Marc was something else than completely straight.

"Peel the potatoes," he says, and they don't talk anymore, the heavy silence even heavier now but Leo realizes that he doesn't mind it like he should because the heavy silence makes him itch but talking about Marc's love life like that makes him feel even worse.

Dinner is alright. Thiago wakes up half way through it and doesn't stop screaming until Marc feeds him some mashed potatoes and he gets to drink apple juice (Jean-Marcel's idea and Leo only rolls his eyes because he shouldn't give Thiago something with sugar this late, but it is already too late to intervene) and he learns that Jean-Marcel is six years older and currently living in England, being a hot-spot lawyer. Leo wants to ask what he is doing here or why he speaks Spanish, but he isn't one to ask almost complete strangers questions, not even when they are Marc's brother.

"Hey," Marc says, Leo already standing in the doorstep, "You forgot something." And he gives Thiago his teddy bear, who is so excited that he almost jumps out of Leo's arms.

"It's Teddy!" Thiago exclaims and cuddles Teddy closer to him.

"What do you say when somebody was nice to you, Thiago?"

"Thank you, Marc," Thiago says and Marc smiles and shrugs like he is a bit embarrassed. Thiago waves at Marc, and Marc waves back, all big smiles and big hands.

**Author's Note:**

> marc actually has a brother and he is older and his name is jean-marcel but i don't know anything more and to respect his privacy i didn't google everything because that is kinda creepy.  
> hope you liked it, lovelies <3


End file.
